Chess Informator issue 103 comes with 619 annotated games,
where 299 of them are completely annotated and 320 of them are
game fragments, all taken from September till December 2008.
All games are arranged by openings so it is no problem to see what is
going on in your favourite line.
The most important theoretical novelties of the preceding volume goes
to the game Naiditsch – Kramnik,Dortmund 2008-103/199,where white found
a smashing improvement in the Petroff; 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5
d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Re1 Bg4 9.c4 Nf6 10.Nc3
Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Nxd4 12.Qd1 Ne6 13.cxd5 Nxd5 14.Bb5+ c6 15.Nxd5 cxb5
16.Bf4 Nxf4 17.Rxe7+ Kf8 18.Re5 Qf6 19.Qd2!!
Indeed beautiful played, instructive is the excellent made theoretical
survey on this line from the opening theoretician Bjelajac.
Completely new in the Informator are the sections Modern Chess
Theory,where I found some excellent theoretical ECO surveys on the
lines B33,1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 by Bjelajac
and good for 47 pages of text !! Indeed this is a complete book on the
Sveshnikov.
B12,1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Nd7 6.0-0 h6 7.Nbd2 Ne7
8.Nb3 by Sasa Velickovic{4 pages}D12,1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3Nf6 4.e3 Bg4
by T.Paunovic{4 pages}and at last the ECO,D17 section by Z.Krnic and
good for 5 pages of text.
But there are some more keen novelties in this Informator as for
instance, there is a separate section of 152 games all dived from
our top 50,ELO 2670-2791 players.
The best of Chess Informant 103 goes to Alexander Khalifman who became
FIDE World Chess Championship in 1999.
Here in the Informator you shall find a fine selection best games!
The readers have chosen the ten best games of the 100 golden games and
number one became: Ivanchuk,V - Yusupov,A [E67]
Bruxelles (m/9), 1991
[Yusupov,A]
1.c4 e5 2.g3 d6 3.Bg2 g6 4.d4 Nd7 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Nf3 Ngf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Qc2
Re8 9.Rd1 c6 10.b3 Qe7 11.Ba3 e4 N [11...exd4] 12.Ng5 e3 13.f4 [13.f3
Nf8 14.Nge4 (14.Nce4 Bf5 15.Qc3 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 c5µ) 14...Bf5 15.Qc1
Bxe4 16.Nxe4 Nxe4 17.fxe4 c5 18.e5 Ne6 19.exd6 Qxd6 20.Bxb7
Nxd4÷] 13...Nf8 14.b4 Bf5 15.Qb3 h6 16.Nf3 Ng4 [16...g5!?] 17.b5
g5 18.bxc6 bxc6 19.Ne5!? gxf4 20.Nxc6 Qg5 21.Bxd6 Ng6 [21...Nxh2
22.Bxf4 (22.Kxh2 Qxg3+ 23.Kh1 Ng6,) 22...Qh5 23.Nd5÷ .
24.¤ce7, 24.¤e3] 22.Nd5 Qh5 [22...Nxh2 23.Nxf4 Nxf4
(23...Qxg3 24.Nxg6 Qxd6 25.Nge7+) 24.Bxf4 Qh5÷] 23.h4 Nxh4!?
[23...fxg3 24.Bxg3 Nxh4 25.Nf4 Qg5 26.Nh3=] 24.gxh4 Qxh4 25.Nde7+
[25.Nce7+ Kh8 26.Nxf5 Qh2+ 27.Kf1 Be5!! . 28.Bxe5+ Rxe5 29.dxe5 Rg8 .
£h1, ¤h2, ¦g1# 30.Ndxe3 fxe3 31.Nxe3 Qf4+ 32.Bf3
Nxe3+ 33.Ke1 Rg1+ 34.Kf2 (34.Kd2 Qd4+ 35.Qd3 Nxc4+-+) 34...Rg2+ 35.Ke1
Qh4+ 36.Kd2 Qd4+ 37.Ke1 Rg1+-+;
25.Bxf4!? Qf2+ 26.Kh1 Qh4+= (26...Be4 27.Bxe4 Qh4+ (27...Rxe4 28.Rf1
Qh4+ 29.Kg2 Rxf4 30.Nxf4+-) 28.Kg2 Qf2+ 29.Kh3 Rxe4 30.Rg1±) ]
25...Kh8 26.Nxf5 Qh2+ 27.Kf1 Re6 [27...Nf2? 28.Nxe3 Nh3 29.Bxh3 Qxh3+
30.Ng2+-;
27...Rg8 28.Nxe3 Bxd4 (28...Nxe3+ 29.Qxe3+-) 29.Rxd4 Nxe3+ 30.Ke1 Rxg2
31.Be5+ Kg8 32.Qd3±;
27...Bf6! . ¥h4-f2, ¦g8, £h1, ¤h2# 28.Rd3
(28.c5 Rg8 29.Qd5 Qh1+!!-+) 28...Bh4! (28...Rg8 29.Rxe3 Nxe3+ 30.Nxe3
Rae8 31.Ne5 Bxe5 32.Bxe5+ Rxe5 33.dxe5 fxe3 34.Qb7 Rg4 35.Qc8++-)
29.Rxe3 Bf2 30.Rxe8+ Rxe8 31.e4 Qg1+ 32.Ke2 Qxg2f] 28.Qb7? [28.Qb5 Rg6
29.Qd5 Qh1+!! 30.Bxh1 Nh2+-+;
28.Rd3 Rg8 (28...Rxd6 29.Nxd6 f3 30.exf3 e2+ 31.Kxe2 Qxg2+ 32.Ke1)
29.Nce7 Bxd4 30.Nxg8 Rg6 31.Bxf4 Qxf4+ 32.Ke1 Bxa1f;
28.Nce7! Rxe7 (28...Rxd6? 29.Nxd6 f3 30.Nxf7+ Kh7 31.Qd3#; 28...Bf6?
29.Qb7+-) 29.Nxe7 (29.Bxe7 f3 30.exf3 e2+ 31.Kxe2 Qxg2+ 32.Kd3 Qxf3+,)
29...Qg3 30.Kg1=] 28...Rg6!! [28...Rg8 29.Nce7] 29.Qxa8+ Kh7 .
£h1 30.Qg8+!T Kxg8 31.Nce7+ Kh7 32.Nxg6 fxg6 33.Nxg7 Nf2!!-+ .
¤h3 34.Bxf4 Qxf4 35.Ne6 [35.Rdb1 Nh3+ 36.Ke1 Qh4+ 37.Kd1 Qxd4+
38.Kc2 Qxc4+ 39.Kb2 Qxe2+] 35...Qh2 36.Rdb1 Nh3 37.Rb7+ Kg8 38.Rb8+
Qxb8 39.Bxh3 Qg3 0-1
Kasparov played four of these ten best games and that is quite
impressive.
Conclusion: A must for every ambitious chess
player!
Sharpen
your chess tactics by Gary Lane
2009 Batsford Ltd, Londonhttp://www.Batsford.com
224 pages
Price €17,95
ISBN 978-1-906388-28-7Sharpen your chess tactics is the follow up from Lane other
work, Improve Your Chess in 7 Days.
Again there is the opportunity to run throw this book in a small seven
days beginning with : Day 1: So you want to improve your tactics? Day
2: Understanding tactics,Day 3: Develop your creativity, Day 4: Tactics
in the opening, Day 5: Tactics in the middlegame,Day 6: Tactics in the
endgame and at Day 7: Blunders and brilliancies.
A strong point van Lane is his talent to write readable books as for
example his game against Tim Krabbe is a nice example: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5,Lane:
it may look insane but after the sacrifice is accepted white’s idea is
to chase the knights with his central pawns.I believed it was branded
the Muller –Schulze Gambit in 1888 by Oscar Cordel and before that it
was simply called …a mistake.The modern and more appropriate name,the
Halloween Attack,was dreamt up by a German computer programmer,Steffen
Jacob,who put a computer on the Internet which was programmed to play
this opeing.He explained:”Many players are shocked-the way they would
be frightened by a Halloween mask-when they are mentally prepared for a
boring Four Knight’s.And then they are faced with Nxe5..”4….Nxe5 5.d4 Ng6 6.e5 Ng8 7.Bc4 d6
I had no idea that the Encyclopaedia of Chess Opeings recommends 7…d5
in this position.8.Qf3 f5 9.e6 N8e7 10.g4 Nh4 11.Qh3
Nc6 12.Be3 f4
I obviously did not appreciate my plight because I should be going
wrong after the pawn on e6.Therefore 12…Nb4 is advisable,since after
13.0-0-0 d5 Black is doing well.13.Bxf4 Nxd4? Instead
13…Be7,intending to castle kingside,gives black a comfortable advantage.14.0-0-0 c5?
I put this oversight and the previous weak move down to T-Factor which
occurs in my 5 minutes every time I go to the kitchen to make a cup of
tea and thereby lose the thread of the position.
Here I could have joined the long list of shamed players who have
suffered at the creepy hands of the Halloween-correct is 15.Rxd4! when
15…cxd4 16.Bb5+ ke7 17.Qxh4 leads to mate.15.Ne4? Be7 16.c3 0-0 17.Bxd6 Bxe6
If 17…Bxd6?? Then 18.e7+ is embarrassing for black.18.Rxd4 Bxc4 19.Rxc4 Bxd6 20.Nxd6 Qxd6
21.Qxh4 Qd5
After the series of exchanges I conjure the last trick both rooks.22.f3 Qxc4 0-1.
The Halloween Attack is perfect for rapid games on the Internet and for
those who want to take a risk by whispering to there opponent: ‘Trick
or treat.
On Tactics in the opening, good for day four I found ten well analysed
games, where the game Lane – Taimanov,Wrexham,0-1 is so instructive,
yes sometimes you learn more from losses than wins!
Anyway it is all good for nearly 4 pages of instructive text!
Conclusion:It is not easy to find a better book to sharpen your
tactical skills!Matten
Schaakverhalen
Nummer 6
2009New in Chesshttp://www.newinchess.com/
127 pages
Price €11,95
ISBN 978 90 56912772The Dutch chess magazine ‘Matten” doesn’t cover any games some
times as in this issue one diagram but the story about this diagram is
fascinating, as many other stories that I found in this magazine.
I would only take up this magazine if you really have time to read it,
otherwise you are in no time lost in time.
This issue of Matten starts with chess in Hollywood and there is
of course as you could see on the cover,the great Humphrey Bogart but
did he play so strong as others claim?
Other readable contributions are: The Netherlands only had two real
Grandmasters,Euwe & Timman, Grandmaster next to God,Jan Timman and
his travel with Berry Withuis to the Junior World Championship in
Israel 1967,64 questions to Hans Böhm,Playing chess in the golden
cage,” Terror” Jaap won 1.3 million euro in the golden cage,but he is
also a very strong chess player who managed to win in the cage from GM
Jan Werle!!
Conclusion: Nearly impossible to put down!Botvinnik - Smyslov2009New in Chesshttp://www.newinchess.com/
412pages
Price €28,95
ISBN 978 90 56912710Mikhail Botvinnik {1911-95} was one of the greatest chess
players of all time and his annotations belong to the absolute top of
chess writing.
Botvinnink describes in this superb work the three world championship
matches with Vasily Smyslov,where Botvinnink successful defended his
title in the first match in 1954 lost the second match in 1957 but won
the return match of 1958.
In the 1954 and 1958 match Botvinnik made an outstanding start with 3.5
out of 4!
The notes in this book are truly super instructive, but even more
interesting or may I say unique are Botvinnik’s included
notebooks from the years 1957 and 1958.
Botvinnik wrote and used these openings notes as preparation for
his chess repertoire.
Interesting is for example from the notebooks the following
{historical} openings moves: 1.c4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3
dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 Bg4 8.Be3 Nfd7 9.Be2 Nc6 10.Rd1 Nb6 11.Qc5 Qd6
12.h3 Bxf3 13.gxf3 Rfd8 14.d5 Ne5 15.Nb5 Qf6 16.f4 Ned7 17.e5,and later
well known from the famous game,Botvinnik-Fischer,Varna 1962 where
Botvinnik missed Fischer’s move 17….Qxf4!
Fischer wrote in his 60 memorable Games: When I made this move,I felt
sure he had overlooked it.
Botvinnik gave later the following words,which is included in Fischer
his book: However. if you assess 17…Qxf4 from a objective point of
view,then although it is best way out for black,as you will see from
what comes later,this position is still difficult.
This all offers us a unique insight of one the most interesting chess
legends that always was searching for the absolute truth in chess.
The forward comes from Botvinnik’s nephew Igor Botvinnink,where Igor
writes; In the return match of 1958,Vasily Vasilievich found himself
facing the Botvinnink of old, with his fierce will to win, armed to the
teeth and, most importantly of all,full of energy and motivation.
Included throw the book are some minor corrections from the translator
Steve Giddins and Ken Neat.
One of those tournament books you must have read!
New in Chess Yearbook 912009New in Chesshttp://www.newinchess.com/
247 pages
Price €26,95
ISBN 978 90 56912659In New in Chess Yearbook issue 91, I found the following
contributions: Sicilian Defence - Najdorf Variation 6.Be3 Ng4 - SI 14.7
- Vilela
Sicilian Defence - Dragon Variation 10...Rb8 - SI 18.16 - A.Kuzmin
Sicilian Defence - Perenyi Attack 7.g4 - SI 19.14 - Karolyi
Sicilian Defence - Rauzer Variation 7...Be7 - SI 27.10 - Galkin
Sicilian Defence - Sveshnikov Variation 9.Nd5 - SI 37.8 - Rogozenco
Sicilian Defence - Taimanov Variation 5...Qc7 - SI 40.2 - Fogarasi
Sicilian Defence - Taimanov Variation 5...Qc7 - SI 40.4 - Adla/Glavina
Sicilian Defence - Grand Prix Attack 5.Bc4 - SI 49.4 - Grivas
King’s Fianchetto - 4.f4 Line; 4...a6 - KF 14.4 - Finkel
French Defence - Rubinstein Variation 7.c3 - FR 7.4 - Finkel
Caro-Kann Defence - Advance Variation 3.e5 - CK 4.1 - Landa
Ruy Lopez - Exchange Variation 5...Bd6 - RL 8.7 - Boersma
Ruy Lopez - Marshall Attack 15.Qe2 - RL 17.6 - Lukacs/Hazai
Ruy Lopez - Zaitsev Variation 9...Bb7 - RL 26.8 - Van der Wiel
Italian Game - Giuoco Piano 6...a6 - IG 2.10 - Tiviakov
Scotch Opening - Mieses Variation 8...Ba6 - SO 4.4 - Greenfeld
King’s Pawn Openings - Philidor Defence 7...a6 - KP 4.13 - A. Kuzmin
Various Openings - Fajarowicz Gambit 3...Ne4 - VO 17.6 - Gutman
Queen’s Gambit Declined - Tartakower Variation 8.g4 - QO 7.1 - Olthof
Slav Defence - Slow Slav 4.e3 - SL 1.7 - Anka
Slav Defence - Krause Variation 7...Nb6 - SL 4.5 - Lukacs/Hazai
Slav Defence - Botvinnik Variation 16.Na4 - SL 7.8 - Palliser
Catalan Opening - Open Variation 6...dc4 - CA 5.6 - Vladimirov
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Classical Variation 4...0-0 - NI 24.13 - De Jong
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Ragozin Variation 4.Nf3 d5 - NI 27.5 - Antic
Nimzo-Indian Defence - Ragozin Variation 4.Nf3 d5 - NI 27.6 -
Panczyk/Ilczuk
Queen’s Indian Defence - ...c6, ...d5 System - QI 6.1 - Tiviakov
Queen’s Indian Defence - Nimzowitsch Variation 4...Ba6 - QI 14.9 -
Zakhartsov
Grünfeld Indian Defence - 3.f3 Line - GI 1.1 - Mikhalevski
Grünfeld Indan Defence - Accelerated Russian System 4.Qb3 - GI 3.1
- Ikonnikov
King's Indian Defence - Sämisch Variation 6...Nc6 - KI 35.10 -
Kaufman
Queen’s Pawn Openings - Colle System 4.dc5 - QP 6.4 - Panczyk/Ilczuk
English Opening - Symmetrical Variation 4.g3 - EO 40.6 - Marin/Stoica
As you can see there are a lot of hot items as for example in the
Marshall Gambit;Not the refution of the Marshall ,But…
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3
d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.d4 Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3
15.Qe2
Hazai and Lukacs write:15.Qe2 is a fairly new idea in the long history
of the Marshall Attack.
It was introduced at top level in the game Svidler – leko,Mexico City
2007.White obtained a clear advantage in that game,although it ended in
a draw.Later the young Grandmaster Caruana and CsabaBalogh analysed it
deeply,with varying success.
The contributions from Genna Sosonko belong to the absolute top in
chess writing and always good for some original ideas as this time in
the Dragon{1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7
7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Kb1 Nxd4 11.e5 Nd7 12.Bxd4 e6 13.f4 f6
14.exf6 Bxf6 15.Qe3 Nb6 16.h4 Bxd4 17.Rxd4 with advantage} and a
amazing discover in the good old Max Lange Attack!{ 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3
Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4 Bxd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4 7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Bg5
Qe7 10.Na3 Rg8! A multi-functional move.Black does not want to castle
kingside anyway,so he prepares counterplay in case white decides to
take on f6.}
In Forum there is a interesting letter from Marc Schroeder on the
Kieseritzky,where the author found a flaw on Anderssen’s play!
Conclusion: There is always something of interest for you in these well
produced New in Chess Yearbooks!

The first edition of this book goes back to the 1990s but New In
Chess has enlarged and revised this beautiful made chess book with
extra games, 32 pages of never seen before photographs, new articles by
Bronstein him self, unique memorial material from Bronstein’s his wife
Tatiana who was the daughter of Isaak Boleslavsky..
Bronstein is close buried to the grave of Grandmaster Isaak
Boleslavsky, colleague, friend, rival and father in law.
And a whole chapter on My experiences with computers written by Tom
Fürstenberg,who compiled in a unbelievable way this remarkable
book on Bronstein.
Tom Fürstenberg has written this book together with David
Bronstein and there friendship goes back to the Chess Olympiad of 1956
where he asked Bronstein for a signature.
This was a begin for a lifetime friendship with the somewhat eccentric
Bronstein.
Going throw these 50 deeply analysed games you will agree that
Bronstein did consider himself as a artist, probably one of the
greatest that the chess world has ever seen.
Interesting are Bronstein his words on his 23rd lost game with
Botvinnink:
I have been asked many,many times if I was obliged to lose the 23rd
game and if thee was a conspitacy against me to stop me from taking
Bronstein’s title.
A lot of nonsense has been written about this.The only thing that I am
prepared to say about all this controversy is that I was subjected to
strong psychological pressure from various origins and it was entirely
up to me to yield to that pressure or not.
Interesting on this subject are the words from Tatiana: Few people knew
that,when Devik played this match in the Tchaikovsky Hall,his parents
were sitting in the first rankin the audience.As a former
prisoner of several camps his father was forbidden to be in
Moscow.Sitting close by in his loge was the powerful chief of the KGB
General V.S.Abakumov.While Devik was playing he had to think constantly
of this potentially dangerous situation.And,in spite of his
subconscious desire not to become World Champion,Devik did not loose
this match to Botvinnik whom he did not regard as such an exceptional
good player as most thought he was.The result was a draw, proving to
the whole world that he had enormous talent and was amongst the very
best grandmasters of all time.Conclusion: A unique chess book
written by a beautiful mind!

The electronic version
of the Informator, eye-catching packed and over loaded with extra
utilities as chess engines like the bright Crafty.
Going throw these Informator games is a great pleasure, it is only a
matter of a clicking around with your mouse.
This program does exactly what you expect from it, as going throw al
the latest Informator games, but I could not find the great openings
surveys!Conclusion: A great playing
tool!